Egmont National Park Board.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7914, 1 September 1905, Page 2

Egmont National Park Board.

Annual Meeting

Tho annual meeting of this Board was held at the New Plymouth Coun * cil Chambers on Thursday morning. There were present, Messrs F. Simp- J< son, Commissioner of Crown Lands, '" (chairman), S. V. Smith,'F. Wriglcy, Cl 11. Dingle, F. W. Wilkie, J. R. Hill, tj and W. Collis. h Apologies for abrencc were receive ed from Messrs A. If. Moore and T. ' Hastie. s —Report.— a The annual report which was pub-1 l lished in Wednesday's issue, was read I >'■ and adopted. 'I —Finances.— f The financial statement showed , c that from tho Tourist Department and local sources of revenue, the ' Hoard had a credit of £495 10s Id, ' and out of this a sum of £376 Is ' 9d had been expended to March 31, ' the apportionment being as follctvS : Track and Road work J62Bi> 5s 3d, I additions to house £sl" 16s 4d, furniture, fittings and general £3B. The receipts and expenditure by committees were as 1 follows : North Committee.—Receipts, fees etc., £133 Os sd, expenditure £133 Os sd. South Committee.—Receipts, fees, etc., £l6O 18s lid. expenditure £77 Is 6d, balance £B3 17s sd, against this balance being liabilities of £3l 9s, leaving tho nett balance £52 7s 7d. West Committee.—Receipts, fees, etc., £4 lis tkl, expenditure £3 12s 6d, balance 19s. East Committee. —Receipts, fees, fees, etc., £25 12s 2d, expenditure £25 12s 2d. On March 31 the balances of the committees with the general Board were : North £l6 4s 2d, South £lO : -Is 8(1. East £43 4s, Wost 4d, Board . £49 15s 2d .' —Appointments.— The action of the Chairman in appointing Dr. Home and Mr Garner us committeemen to fill vacancies caused by death and resignation, and appointing Mr Morris a ranger, was approved. —Accident Compensation.— An explanation was made with regard to an accident to an employee ; named St. Clair, and the Chairman's . action in paying £l,"i compensntiof. I was agreed to. It was agreed that j the payment be a charge on the South Committee —lnsurance. , It was decided that in future the Hoard insure all employees, huild- | ings uiul furniture, and-that the cost be made a charge against the cons Iributed Hinds on each committee. —Straying Cattle.— The question of cattle straying on , the reserves was brought up 'by the - Chairman, who said that the nuis- , ance was assuming a very seriouA 1 aspect and required more stringent ii measures. The secretary read legal opinion from Messrs Stamiish and Kerr, who advised that owners of animals do pasturing on the Park were liable lo t have such cattle impounded and to a penalty not exceeding £SO, recovery I- able in a summary proceeding, while c under section 20 of the Impounding ;- Act, all unbranded cattle above the age of six months, or apparently 1 above that age, depasturing on the Pork, and having no reputed or apparent owner, may be sold and (lis- -- posed of in such a manner as the Hoard may think lit and may autha orise the killing of such cattle.

Mr Smith considered the Hoard should have power to order shooting of caltle whether branded or not. The knowledge that the llonrd had such power would act as a prevent-, atjvc to such damage occurring in future. The magnificent provisions made mainly by the Lands Department for the preservation of the for ests were being nullified right and left by the trespassing of cattle. He detailed the damages icaused to the shrubs and trees, and said it was a cruel thing to see it going/on. The Scenery I'rescrvation Society intended to mako representations to Sil .Joseph Ward, who appeared to Ihki a great interest in the matter, with a view to him bringing in an amendment to tho Scenery Preservation Act giving power to the Commissioner of Crown Lands wherever found in these reserves. A regrettable feature of the trespassing was that much of it was the outcome of settlers turning their stock into the rosorves. He referred to an instance which came under his notice of a prosperous farmer turning 60 head of cattle into a small resetvu to depasture during the winter,

Mr Collis agreed that the power al present vested iu the Hoard was too limited. Some of the settlers deliberately turned the whole of their dry and young stock into the reserves for the winter, There were hundreds of cattle in the reserve on the north side. Drastic measures would have to bo taken, and once authority to shoot cattlo was given he thought there would be veiy little need »o exerciso it, as owners would soon clear their stock out' of the reserves. After further discussion it was resolved on the motion of Mr Smith,! "That the Chairman communicate with the Minister asking him to secure legislative sanction in this session of Parliament enabling the Commissioner of Crown Lands, on behalf of the Egmont National Park Hoard, to authorise the destruction of cattle straying into and damaging the .Park." On the motion of Mr >Vilkie it was decided to ask the local committees to fence in the open roads lending to the reserves, and provide gates for the traffic. —Meetings,— It was decided that the members of the Hoard should meet at the northern mountain house on or about December 14, and at the Dawson Palls house (southern division) on or about March 14 next, for purposes of inspection and the discussion of matters of administration generally. —Local Committees.— Mr Dingle brought forward a suggestion that the Eltham Borough Council should be represented on the southern committee. The Hoard decideil to appoint Sir T. W. Taylor, Mayor of Eltham, on the committee. —Tourist Season.—' Fpr the purpose of having a uni : foy.m|ly in the' reports and accounts of the various district committees it was decided that the end of each tourist season be considered the :11st May of each year. *| —Fees Regulations.—

A decision of thfi Hoard having boon taken, and members agreeing, a resolution passed on April 13 with reference to granting passes from house to house, on the same date was rescinded. It was resolved that any person paying toll for the use of one house will not be entitled to use another house on the same day without a further charge. A committcc, consisting of Messrs Dingle, Wrigley and Wilkie, was appointed to arrange charges between the Dawson Falls and Stratford houses, with regard to horse traffic, and submit a report to a future meeting. Messrs Simpson, Collis, and Hill wei-|) apppijited to dfaft a by-la*' dealing with vehicular traffic inside the reserve. It was resolved that no contractor be allowed to graze bullocks in the reserve, and thai, all bullocks be taken outside the Park under —Allocation of firnnt.— The tourist vole of £I2OO was, aft-, er considerable ifispussloii, njlptcd as follows :—Southern Committee ,£BO, North £RO. East £lO. West £lO, with £lO for the Kaitaki Range, to be expended by the Northern Committpe. A vote of thanks to the chairman and to tha secretary (Mr <J. W I'oliiwr) coikJuUvil the uwetiug.